Grilled Vegetable Salad (0 Star)

My pictures aren't the greatest but this salad was amazing. There were a lot of steps so it was a tad intensive to make (for me, maybe not for you expert cooks out there) but very much worth it. I'm posting the recipe here because I made some minor changes such as decreasing the red wine vinegar because I didn't want that flavor so strong and omitting the 6 tablespoons of olive oil in the dressing because everything was already coated in plenty of oil, I thought. I was very happy with the results. The flavors in this salad are fantastic together. I doubled it and took it to a barbecue this weekend and forgot to force it upon my children--um, I mean, allow them to sample it--so I don't know if they liked it, but I seriously doubt it.

Grilled Vegetable Salad

Several tablespoons grape seed, coconut, or olive oil
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch rounds (Sweet potatoes, NOT yams! Sweet potatoes = yum, yams = not so yum.)
3 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips
3 slices uncooked bacon
1 small leek, trimmed, scrubbed and chopped, about 1/2 cup (I used 1 medium yellow onion because I forgot to buy leeks and it was still great.)
1 cup frozen corn
3 ounces fresh baby spinach (a couple of handfuls)
2 T red wine or balsamic vinegar
1 T fresh chopped rosemary (or 1 tsp dried)
1 T chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese (shavings or shredded)

Preheat BBQ grill or stove-top grill pan to medium-high heat. Brush oil over grates and on both sides of the sliced sweet potato and zucchini. (I put the cut up veggies in a bowl with several tablespoons of olive oil and stirred to coat.) Place on hot grill and cook until tender, flipping once halfway through, cooking about 10-15 minutes. (Mine were done at about 4-6 minutes total; 2-3 minutes per side.) The sweet potato may take a bit longer than the zucchini, but be sure to remove it from the grill before it gets too soft to pick up in one piece. (There should be some pretty grill lines on the vegetables but they should not be blackened too much. Otherwise the zucchini will get mushy and the sweet potato gets a bitter taste when blackened.) Set aside to cool, then chop into 1/2-inch pieces.

Meanwhile, cook bacon (whole or chopped, whatever you prefer) in a medium skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from the pan and leave about a Tablespoon or so of the bacon fat in the pan. Add chopped leeks (or onion) to the skillet and saute over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until they soften. Add frozen corn to the skillet and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, 4-5 minutes until corn is thawed and golden brown spots begin to appear. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a large salad bowl combine all of the warm, cooked vegetables (grilled and sauteed), the bacon (chopped), vinegar, rosemary, oregano, and Parmesan shavings. Mix until everything is coated in the oil and vinegar and let it sit for about 10 minutes to allow the spinach to wilt. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes about 6 servings.

Nat's Notes:

1. Leeks are notorious for being gritty between layers. The best way to prep them is to first trim them, then chop them, then throw the chopped leek into a bowl full of cool water. Swish the leeks around and let it sit for a couple minutes to allow the sand to sink to the bottom of the bowl. Remove washed leeks with a skimmer/spider or slotted spoon.
2. Make sure the sweet potatoes are about 1/4-inch thick. If they're too thick, they won't cook through before the outsides get too black, and if they're too thin, they won't stay in one piece when you take them off the grill. They may have a slight bite to them, but they're still good that way.

For better pictures and the original recipe, go here.